The diary ends here, abruptly. Since Eric continued to write letters home almost daily (they have not survived, but his lists have), and to collect postcards, photos and programmes, it seems likely that the remaining pages have just been lost.
On October 1st Bulgaria surrendered to the Allies. On October 31st an armistice was signed with Turkey. Austria followed the day after. Eric kept the newspapers – but the BSF was not sent home.
Armistice with Turkey
By Christmas Eric was still in Salonica, celebrating with the rest of the Provision Staff — who all signed his menu. The food still hadn’t improved – the menu included Barron of beef (very barren), Cabbage (without worms, probably) and maybe potatoes (what ’opes?). The traditional pantomime followed – ‘Bluebeard’, written by Private G.G. Horrocks. The ‘female’ stars this time were two privates playing nurses from a hospital ship in Salonica Harbour.
Provisions Staff Christmas Dinner 1919
Spring came, and in March Eric was promoted to Corporal. But then the occasional ‘bad turns’ he had been having got worse, and he was found to have malaria. Invalided home, after a while in hospital, he was finally discharged from the army as ‘physically unfit’ on June 13th 1919. Eric suffered from periodic bouts of malaria for the rest of his long and eventful life.
Eric and the nurses
